Combined moistening and sealing device for envelops or the like.



No 754,988. I I PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904 f L. FRITZ v6a W W. DRYDEN. COMBINED MOISTENING AND SEALING DEVICE FOR ENVELOPS OR THE LIKE APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented March 22, 1904.

PATENT OEEic LOUIS FRITZ AND WILLIAM W. DRYDEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- I I VANIA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO GODFREY SHMIDHEISER, OF

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED MOISTENING AND SEALING DEVICE FOR ENVELOPS OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 754, 988, dated March 22, 1904.

Application filed July 24, 1903. Serial No. 166,800- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that we, LOUIS FRITZ and IVIL- LIAM W. DRYDEN, citizens of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the countyof Philadelphia and State of Pennsyl- Vania, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Moistening and Sealing Device for Envelope or the Like, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has relation to a device for moistening and sealing gummed flaps of envelops or similar articles; and in such connection it relates more particularly in the arrangement and construction of such a device.

The principal object of our invention is to provide a simple device for moistening and sealing flaps upon envelops and the like at one operation.

The nature and scope of our invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in Which Figure l is a side elevational view of a moistening and sealing device embodying main features of our invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan View thereof, partly in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating in detail the moistening-bar and sealing-roller, and Fig. 4c is a perspective View of the hollow bar carrying the moistening wick or material.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises a moistener a, a sealing device 6, a handle or operating device d for propelling the moistener a and sealing device I), and a Water-reservoir 6, preferably carried by the handle (Z. The moistener a comprises a hollow bar a, having a channel in which is inserted a wick a or similar absorbent material. The bar a has along its upper edge an outlet'rr", through which water in the hollow bar a may escape onto the upper edge of the wick a. The ends of the hollow bar a are connected by tubular joints a a with a hollow shaft 6. On the hollow shaft 6' are mounted to turn loosely the rolls 5 forming the sealing device 6. The operating device cl comprises a hollow nipple CZ in open communication with the shaft 6', to which it is rigidly secured, a hollow handle (Z of wood or similar material, removably secured by a screw-joint (Z to the nipple (Z, and a rubber or collapsible ball 0, removably secured to the handle (Z by a screw-joint (F. The ball a comprises the water-reservoir, and when compressed forces water from its interior through the screw-joint (F, the hollow handle (Z joint (Rand nipple (1 into the hollow shaft 6. The fluid passes from the shaft 6 through the tubular joints a into the hollow bar a, from whence it escapes through the outlet a upon the wick a The channel (f, in which the Wick a is secured, is so arranged in front of the rolls that the wick (4 projects toward the rolls 6 and is substantially tangential thereto. There is, however, a space between the 'wick a and the rolls 6 In the operation of the device an envelop is laid with its body f fiat upon a table or support and its flap f projecting up ward therefrom, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The flap f" is then inserted between the moistener a and sealing device Z) with its gummed face f resting upon the wick a The device is now pushed across the body f of the envelop, and the flap f first passes over the wick a to receive moisture and is then pressed down upon the body f by the rolls 6 The wick a is kept supplied with moisture by pressing upon the ball or bulb e in the handle d Having thus described the nature and object of our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, a sealing means, a moistener arranged in front of the sealing means, and an operating-handle provided with a fluid-container in communication with said Inoistener, said device arranged so that the flap is introduced between said moistener and sealing means to first moisten one side of the flap and then from the 0p posite side seal the flap.

2. In a device of the character described, a moistener and a sealing means operatively connected with each other, said parts separated to permit of the entrance of the flap to be sealed, and arranged so that the moistener and sealing means operate upon opposite sides of the flap in the moistening and sealing of said flap.

3. In a device of the character described, a hollow handle, a Water-reservoir carried by said handle, a hollow shaft connected With said handle and in communication therethrough With the Water-reservoir, a hollow bar in open communication with said shaft and carried by said shaft, a moistener carried by the hollow 

